Snow-plow.



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PATENTED DEC. 11, 1906. P. G. MINIER.

SNOW PLOW.

APPLIOATION FILED 0013. 1906.

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SNOW PLOW.

APPLICATION FILED 001a. 190a.

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PA TBNTED DEC. 11,11906.,

P. G. MINIBR. SNOWPLOW. APPLICATION FILED 0018,1906.

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PeierlZJl iinie o e o 0 a w UNiTnn STATES PATENT orrron.

PETER Gr. MINIER, OF RIDG\VAY, PENNSYLVANIA.

SNOW-PLOW.

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Be it known that 1, PETER G. MINIER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ridgway, in the county of Elk and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful SnowPlo'w, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in snow-plows.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of snow-plows, more especially the means for operating the side wings for moving the same outwardly and inwardly.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide a snow-plow of this character having side wings which are capable of being readily moved outwardly for increasing the width of the cut made by the plow and capable of being quickly moved inwardly within the frame of the snow-plow when the same is passing a station, crossing, or other place which might offer an obstruction to the passage of the snow-plow when the wings are in their eX- tended position.

The invention also has for its object to provide operating mechanism having fluid-actuated pistons adapted to be directly connected to the wings, and thereby dispense with the racks and pinions and other intermediate gearing heretofore employed for communicating motion from the cylinders to the wings of the plow.

Furthermore, it is the object of the inven tion to mount the cylinders so that they will be capable of pivotal or oscillatory movement to conform to the swinging movement of the wings and to prevent any straining or cramping of the parts.

ith these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of construction within the scope of the claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a snow-plow having wing-operating mechanism constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 8, 1906. Serial No. 337.940.

Patented Dec. 11, 1906.

sectional view showing the cylinders connected directly with the wings. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional View of the same. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of one of the lower cylinders. Fig. 6 is an. enlarged detail sectional view illustrating the construction of the flexible sections or members of the air pipes.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates a snow-plow, which may be of any preferred construction and which is provided at opposite sides with wings 2, hinged at their front ends at 3 and adapted to swmg outwardly from the position illustrated in full lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings to the position shown in dotted lines in the said figure. The wings 2, which are of the ordinary construction, are received within recesses 4 of the frame of the plow, and they are moved inwardly and outwardly by upper and lower transverse cylinders 5 and 6, arranged in pairs and provided with pistons 7 and 8. The pistons are connected at their outer ends directly to the wings 2 by means of suitable pivots 9, which pass through suitable eyes or perforations of the outer ends of the pistons and which are also arranged in eyes 10 of brackets or plates 11. The brackets or plates 11 are suitably secured to the inner faces of the wings, and the ears are arranged in pairs and are spaced apart to receive the outer ends of the piston-rods. The pistonrods are provided at their inner ends With suitable heads 12 and are actuated by com pressed air or other aeriform fluid under pressure, the compressed air being preferable, as it is readily obtainable from the ordinary airbrake system of a train of cars. The plow, however, is provided with suitable reservoirs 13, and the compressed air may be obtained from any other desired source.

WV hen the wings swing outwardly and 1m wardly, the pivots mo ve in an arc of a circle, as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and in order to enable the cylinders to conform to this movement of the pi votal connections the upper and lower cylinders are pivotally mounted and are adapted to swing horizontally. The upper cylinders are re versely arranged, so that their pistons extend in opposite directions, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and the walls of the framework of the plow at the recesses 4 are provided with openings 14, through which the pistons extend and which are of suflicient size to permit the necessary lateral or oscillatory movement of pistons.

The upper cylinders are provided at their front ends, or the ends from which the pistons extend, with upper and lower vertical pivots or trunnions 15, which are arranged in suitable bearing-openings of ears 16 of sectional brackets 17. The brackets 17, which are bolted or otherwise secured to the opposite side faces of an upper transverse beam or timber 18, are divided centrally and consist of substantially L-shaped sections having the horizontally-projecting bearing-ears and vertical attachment plates or portions which are pierced by the bolts 19. The sectional bearing-brackets 17, which are located at the ends of the transverse beam or timber 18, extend in opposite directions, and the bearingbrackets are separable to enable the parts to be readily assembled. The pivots extend from enlargements of the cylinders and are secured in the bearing-openings by means of pins or keys 20; but the cylinders may be pivotally mounted and supported in any other desired manner. In order to relieve the bearing-brackets of strain, the rear ends of the pistons are guided and supported by horizontal arms 21, which extend in opposite directions from the transverse beam or timber 18 and which have inner attachment portions. The inner attachment portions of the arms 21 are bolted or otherwise secured to the lower face of the transverse timber or beam. Any other form of guide may be employed, and, if desired, suitable antifriction devices may be interposed between the cylinders and the supporting and guiding arms.

The lower cylinders 6, which are mounted up on the floor of the snow-plow, are reversely arranged and have their pistons extending in opposite directions, and they are provided at their front or piston ends with depending pivots or trunnions 22, which are arranged in suitable bearing sockets or openings 23 of plates 24. The bearing-plates 24 are suit- I ably secured to the floor of the snow-plow, and the rear ends of the cylinders rest upon the floor or supporting-surface. Any suitable means may be employed for reducing the friction incident to the oscillatory mo vement of the cylinders.

The cylinders, which may be constructed in any preferred manner, are preferably provided with heads 25 and 26 and are exteriorly threaded at their ends to engage interior threads of the heads 25 and 26. The heads 25 and 26 are cylindrical or in the form of caps to fit on the endsof the cylinders. The trunnions or'pivots of the lower cylinders are secured in their bearings by means of pins or keys 27, which pierce the pivots or trunnions and engage the sockets. The sockets or bearings are open at the bottom, and the pivots or trunnions depend below the same.

Compressed air is admitted to the rear ends of the cylinders to force the pistons outwardly compressed air to the rear ends of the cylin ders when the wings are forced outwardly and which also operates as an exhaust-pipe when air is admitted at the front or outer ends of the cylinders to move the wings inwardly. The rear connecting-pipe 30, or the pipe which connects the rear ends of the cylinders, is flexibly connected with a-longitudinal pipe 31 by means of a flexible section 32. The longitudinal pipe 31 is arranged horizontally, and the rear connecting-pipe 30 is disposed vertically. The flexible section, which is provided to permit the necessary pivotal movement of the cylinders, is arranged vertically and is clamped by collars 33 and 34 on upper and lower metallic nipples 35 and 36.

The flexible section 32 is designed to be constructed of rubber or rubber andfabric similar to the hose connections between the cars of a railwaytrain, and the collars 33 and 34, which are split, have outturned terminals which are connected by adjustable fastening devices 37, whereby the endsv of the flexible pipe-section are firmly clamped on the short metallic pipe-sections or nipples 35 and 36. The upper nipple 35 is screwed into an elbow 38, which is coupled to the rear vertical connecting-pipe 30, and the lower nipple 36 is connected by an elbow 39 with the adjacent end of the longitudinal pipe 31. The upper end of the vertically-disposed flexible section 32 is adapted to move with the rear vertical connecting-pipe 30 when the cylinders oscillate, and this movement will not aifect the connection between the lower end of the section 32 and the longitudinal pipe 31. The front or pivoted ends of the cylinders have comparatively little movement and are provided with threaded openings or ports to receive arms or branches 40 of a front connecting-pipe 41, which is vertically disposed and which is connected by an ordinary metallic coupling 42 with a horizontally-disposed longitudinal pipe 43. The pipes 43, which are not made fast to the framework of the plow, v

will permit the limited movement of the front ends of the cylinders, and owing'to such ssaaoo vide a flexible section for connecting the verticalpipe 41 with the horizontal pipe 43. For this reason the cylinders are preferably pivoted at one end; but it will be readily understood that they may be pivoted at any other desired point or movably mounted in any preferred manner to enable them to conform to the oscillatory movement of the wings.

The feed and exhaust of the air through the pipes 31 and 43 are controlled by means of a suitable valve, (not sl1own,) and when one of the said pipes is used as a feedpipe the other constitutes an exhaust-pipe.

It will be seen that by connecting the outer ends of the pistons directly to the wings the intermediate gearing, such as the racks and pistons heretofore employed, is eliminated and that the mechanism for operating the wings is thereby greatly simplified. This also greatly reduces the cost of construction, besides rendering the same more e'l'licient. The pistons not only respond more quickly to the operating means, but considerably less pressure is required to move the wings inwardly and outwardly.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a snow-plow having a hinged wing movable inwardly and outwardly, of a cylinder provided with a piston connected directly with the wing, and means for actuating the piston.

2. The combination with a snow-plow having opposite wings movable inwardly and outwardly in a direction transversely of the snow-plow, of reversely-arranged cylinders disposed transversely of the snow-plow and provided with pistons connected directly with the wings, and means for operating the pistons.

3. The combination with a snow-plow provided with a hinged wing movable inwardly and outwardly, of a cylinder having a piston connected directly with the wing, said cylinder being movably mounted to conform to the swinging movement of the wing, and means for operating the piston.

41:. The combination with a snow-plow having a hinged wing, of a pivotally-mounted cylinder having a piston connected directly with the wing, and means for operating the piston.

5. The combination with a snow-plow pro vided with a hinged wing, of a pivotallymounted cylinder having its piston con11ect ed directlywith the wing, and means for operating the piston, said means embodying a movable pipe carried by the cylinder in its pivotal movement, a relatively fixed pipe, and a flexible connection for the said pipes.

6. The combination with a snow-plow provided with a hinged wing, of a pivotallymounted cylinder having its piston connected directly with the wing, and means for operating the piston, said means embodying a movable pipe carried by the cylinder in its pivotal movement, a relatively fixed pipe, and afleXible pipe-section connecting the said pipes.

7 The combination with a snow-plow pro vided with a hinged wing, of a pivotallymounted cylinder having its piston connected directly with the wing, and means for operating the piston, said means embodying a movable pipe carried by the cylinder in its pivotal movement, a relatively fixed pipe, and a flexible pipe-section having detachable nipples connected to the said pipe.

8. The combination with a snow-plow having a hinged wing, of upper and. lower pivotally-mounted cylinders having pistons con nected directly to the said wing, and means for operating the pistons embodying a pipe connecting the cylinders and carried by the same in their pivotal movement, a relatively fixed pipe, and an approximately vertical flexible section connected at one end with the relatively fixed pipe and at the other end with the movable connecting-pipe.

9. The combination with a snow-plow h aving a hinged wing, of a pivoted cylinder provided with a piston connected directly with the wing, and means for operating the piston embodying pipesconnected with the front and rear ends of the cylinder, the pipe at one end of the cylinder being provided with a flexible section adapted to yield to the pivotal movement of the cylinder.

. 10. The combination with a snow-plow having an oscillatory wing, of an upper cylinder provided with. upper and lower vertical pivots and having a piston connected directly with the wing, a sectional bearing-bracket mounted on the snow-plow and receiving the pivots of the cylinder, and means for operating the piston.

11. The combination with a snow-plow having a hinged wing, of a lower cylinder having its piston connected directly with the wing and provided with a depending pivot mounted on the floor of the snow-plow, and means for operating the piston.

12. The combination with a snow-plow having a hinged wing, of an upper cylinder having a piston connected directly with the wing, said cylinder being pivotally mounted, and a guide receiving and supporting the cylinder.

13. The combination with a snow-plow having a hinged wing, of an upper cylinder having a piston connected directly with the wing, said cylinder being pivotally mounted, and a guide-arm mounted on the snow-plow and receiving and supporting the cylinder.

14. The combination with a snow-plow having a hinged wing, of a cylinder provided with a piston connected directly with the wing, said cylinder being provided With upper and lower pivots, a bracket mounted on the snow-plow and provided with bearings receiving the pivots, and a guide arranged to support the cylinder in its pivotal movement.

15. The combination with a snow-plow having a hinged wing, of upper and lower cylinders having pistons connected directly with the wing, the upper cylinder being provided with upper and lower pivots and the lower cylinder having a depending pivot, bearings mounted on the snowlow and receiving the pivots, and means or operating the pistons.

16.-. The combination with a snow-plow provided at its sides with hinged wings, of upper and lower pivotally-mounted pistons arranged in pairs and connected directly with the wings at the top and bottom thereof, and means for operatingthe pistons.

17. The. combination with a snow-plow provided at its sides with hinged wings, of upper and lower pivotally-mounted cylinders having their pistons connected directly with the wings, said cylinders being arranged in pairs and the members of each pair being reversely disposed, and means'for operating the pistons.

18. The combination with a snow-plow provided with hinged wings, of plates secured to the wings at the inner sides thereof and provided with projecting ears arranged in pairs, transversely-disposed cylinders provided with pistons pivoted between the ears of said plates, and means foroperating the pistons.

19. The combination with a snow-plow provided with wings hinged at their front ends, reversely-arranged, transversely-disposed cylinders located between the wings at the rear portions thereof and provided with pistons connected directly with the said wings, and means for operating the pistons.

20. The combination with a snow-plow having a hinged wing, of a bearing mounted on the snow-plow at the bottom thereof and provided with a socket, a cylinder having a piston connected directly with the wing, said cylinder being also provided with a depending pivot extending entirely through the socket, and locking means mounted on the lower portion of the pivot and engaging the socket.

21. The combination with a snow-plow having a wing movable laterally of the plow, of a cylinder having its piston connected directly with the wing for moving the same inward and outward, and means for operating the piston.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

PETER G. MINIER.

Witnesses:

J. N. TROXELL, R. CLIFFORD MOFARLAND. 

